Federal prosecutors might be investigating one or more of the Fruman, Parnas, and Giuliani trio as possible foreign agents using FISA surveillance
Subpoenas indicate a broad federal investigation into possible money laundering, obstruction of justice and campaign-finance violations and show that prosecutors are probing Mr. Giuliani’s consulting businesses and other sources of income. 1/8
2/8
In view of Michael Horowitz’s report on alleged FISA abuses, due out on Dec 9, the potential charge of serving as a foreign agent without registering with the DOJ is of considerable interest. 3/8
FISA warrants are used to surveil American citizens whom the FBI believes (probable cause) are agents of a foreign power. It is likely that Parnas and Fruman have been targets of FISA surveillance, and quite possible that Rudy has been as well. 4/8
Here the surveillance would have been used to determine (among other things) whether the trio of Fruman, Parnas, and Giuliani were acting as foreign agents pushing Russian deza that came to them via Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash. 5/8
(And being paid for it via money laundering, à la Paul Manafort.) 6/8
Congress has already been briefed by the DOJ and FBI and informed that US intel has determined that Russia (ultimately Putin) is the source of the false narrative that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, 7/8
using, among others, oligarchs and businessmen to feed the disinformation into American political discourse. 8/8
